In Your Shadows.

Part Three.

Fight.

Fight a battle or the act of fighting between two.

They were in a restaurant.

She sat in silence from shock. She stared at him with wide pearly eyes and waited for him to laugh and tell her he was joking or something of that kind but the laugh never came. Her face was immediately set in flames as she realized they were in actuality having a little talk about the subject she hated talking about.

Sex.

"N.. nande?" She asked after she finally gathered her wits.

"I said.." He began again.

"Iie, forget I asked. We're not going to have this kind of conversation. Not now not ever." She said in a tone higher than usual. She fanned her blushing face. "My, when did it get so hot in here?"

"Don't go all shy on me now." He said as he rubbed the back of his neck. " Its normal for any married capable couple to have sex, arranged married or not. But its not normal to not have sex when they're face to face almost every minute of their waking hours for three whole months."

"Kami… "

"I don't know how you can stand it." He leaned back in his chair. "I mean, don't you have urges."

"Kiba-kun, I think you're gone bughouse." She replied in tired voice. (AN: HAHA I bet you people thought it was Neji.)

"I don't do bugs. He does." Kiba said, with a wicked grin, he pointed at the third person sitting. "Don't you have something to say, Shino? A little advice, maybe?"

"All I have to say is..." Shino said, joining their conversation for the first time. " The blind is leading the blind "

"What the hell does that mean?" Kiba asked, drowned in his confusion.

"He means that you should take care of your…uh ..intimate affairs before meddling in mine." She explained with a smile. Secretly sighing out of relief. At least one of her friends didn't betray her.

"Why you…" Kiba clenched hi fist then he loosened it. Pointing his finger at the man with the shades. "You promised that you would fully support me in this. Now, you're backing out, coward."

She gasped, hand covering her mouth.

Traitors.

"You seem to be doing good on your own." Shino calmed his friend. "Very convincing. However, I'll back you up if ever needed."

"Whatever bastard." Kiba turned back to her. " Listen to me. Forget about this freak. All you need to do now, is go back home and start planning your attack."

"Attack?" She innocently asked.

"As of how… you know." Kiba said. Suddenly aware of this was an awkward conversation between friends. Telling your best girl friend that it was unhealthy not to have sex with her husband and explaining it were two different things. Not to mention, he was explaining it to a naive virgin.

He had set himself on a hard task.

"I do?"

"Just … just let it be." Kiba said with a sigh. "If you have no.. urges, then you're ok. Besides, if the guy is stupid enough to let you go, why should we help him. I never did like him."

Dead silence.

"Just how did we get to this?" She asked after a while.

"Your new perfume."

"Yeah, you noticed it and then you just had to notice that I don't carry Neji's scent." She gave him her cute glare.

"I did notice that for a while now." He said, his wicked smile returning to his face.

"That nose is starting to annoy me, Kiba-kun." She mirrored his smile. "Make you sure you don't smell anything while I'm around or I might tell Neji about it."

"So, he's you're knight in shining armor now." He frowned at the thought.

"Umm…maybe." She said with a pale finger on her lower lush lip as if to think it over. "He did promise to do anything I ask, but I don't think he'll see this as a bothersome task more than a chance to rip your nose off."

"As if he could touch my nose let alone hurt me."

Sensing a tension in the air, she didn't reply to that. She looked from Kiba to Shino then back to Kiba, trying to understand what was this all about. Seeing that she won't get her answer anytime soon, she stood and picked up her purse.

"Going already?" Kiba asked, distress was clear in his eyes.

"Hai," She smiled at him, hoping that it would somehow ease whatever was bothering him. "I have to do that attack planning you told me to do once I get home."

Kina stared at her in shock. "I've got a feeling that we're not talking about the same thing."

"We're not?" Hinata asked, confused. "Just what were you talking about?"

"By attack, I think he meant the 'tackle to bed' kind." Shino kept his promise to support his beast master friend.

Seeing the blush coming into view, both guys sighed in helplessness. "Oh, y…you meant ..t…that."

"Just what were you thinking, Hinata?" Kiba groaned. Even Akamaru shock his head at her.

"Uh… well, you see." She began her explanation as she sat back, on the process of doing so, she brought her hand up to her ear and started playing with her earring. "Ino told me that a straight way to a man's heart is through his stomach. I thought the ..uh.. attack plan was to go to the kitchen and hit the pots."

"You were planning to cook for this guy?"

"Yeah," She frowned." You did say 'go back home and plan your attack'. The kitchen is the place I'm most good at."

"Obviously no talent in the bedroom." Kiba murmured to himself, "Hinata, first of all, you're not trying to win this guy's love, that is if he has any."

"Right…" She whispered, sounding somewhat disheartened.

"Second, Neji would be fine with eating air if it would keep him alive."

"Hai, I get it…"

"Finally, your biggest mistake was comparing Neji and chouji. What Ino told was something of her own experience with her boyfriend."

At this she looked away, watching people walk back and forth in the street.

But Ino and Chouji are happy regardless of Ino's bossiness and Chouji's overweight.

"Look, I'm not trying to make you feel depressed, you know that." Kiba continued, "I just thought that by you having sex and being intimate you might just get to understand that heartless bastard."

"Kiba-kun," She mumbled, "Onegai, don't call him that."

"Hai, hai, my mistake."

They sat in silence for a moment. Kiba picked up his beer and swallowed half of it at once. Once he placed it down, he turned back to her and quietly. "Its just that you two are so different."

Surprisingly, she turned back to him with a small kind smile. "You worry about me way too much. I'm not twelve anymore, you know."

She stood up and kissed Shino's cheek, who did nothing to acknowledge her show of affection. Then, she walked over behind Kiba and intertwined her arms around his neck. " I think Neji and I enjoy keeping our privacy, so there is no need to disturb each other's solitude."

She kissed his cheek, rubbed Akamaru's jaw and walked away. "Ja."

"Privacy? Who is she kidding? How can one get privacy when living with a Hyuuga?" Kiba asked, mostly himself. "I remember that ever since I knew about Hinata's Byakugan, I always made sure I'm wearing clean underwear. In case, you know, she decided to check my ass or something."

"That's unpleasant to know…" Shino commented.

Kiba glared at his friend, "That was a private joke between me and Akamaru. One you're suppose to be too busy talking to your bugs to hear it."

"You need to get your emotions under control, Inuzuka…"

"I know that," Kiba smiled bitterly. "Even thought all this time I knew she would never be mine, I still can't get it inside this thick head of mine."

"I must say that I'm surprised you didn't jump at your chance when she went through the Uzumaki crisis."

"Nah, I couldn't do it but the thought did cross my mind." He said, rubbing Akamaru's head. "Dogs are loyal and I guess I'm not the kind to get my girl when she's vulnerable. Ne, Akamaru?"

Bark…

"I'm just worried about her, but she's no longer twelve. She can take care of herself and if she needs Neji's ass taken care of, she knows where to find her old knight."

Opening the door to their apartment, she walked in and switched on the lights. Taking her leaf's head protected off her neck along with her jacket, she placed both on the table by the entrance. She noticed that all the lights were off, just as she had left it. Turning on the light off the hall and the living room. She found the note she had left for Neji, in case he came from his mission while she was out, still untouched.

"I guess there's no need for this anymore." She whispered and picked up the note, attending to throw it away, when she was suddenly grabbed by the shoulders from behind and was thrown harshly against the wall. Her attackers warm body flattening her against the cold wooden barrier, preventing her from moving.

"Itai," Her voice came out as a whine as her cheek was squashed heavily. "Let go, you're hurting me."

"Still keeping your guard down, I see."

Instead of waiting for him to free her, she turned her palms against the wall and released her chakra so it would pushed her back. She shrugged off his hands lightly and turned to face him.

"Good but not good enough." Neji said, nodding in approval of her method, still dressed in his ANBU uniform. "Your enemy could kill you before you even have the chance to blink. That's why I always tell you to keep your guard up all the time."

She smiled at him while she rubbed her aching right side of her face, sulkily though. "I think you're right. Next time, you might just give me a black eye."

Geez, What a greeting. both thought at the same time.

"When did you get back?" She asked as she walked into what's supposed to be their bedroom. But since she never knew if he had slept beside her again after their wedding night, which she wasn't completely sure he did, she had considered the room her's. He only came whenever he needed clothes or to wake her up.

"Just now. You came in just as I was about start eating."

She walked into the adjoined bathroom, and turned the water on to wash her hands.

"You made dinner?" She asked in voice loud enough to reach the living room, where she thought he was.

"Just something from the fridge."

She rolled her eyes heavenwards as she shock the water off her hands, figures.

She walked back into the room to find him sitting on her bed and naked to the waist, Kiba's wicked words came back to her along with a face burning blush. She quickly turned away and walked to the door. She thanked god that he had his back turned to her.

She walked into the kitchen and shock her head when she saw that he had a little plate filled with prickles and a glass filled with orange juice.

He really would eat air if it keeps him alive.

She took the prickles back to the fridge but left the juice out on the table. She took out some lean meat, carrots, Tripoli onions and haricots. She took out the cutting board and sat down and began readying dinner.

She didn't care if he got a taste for decent food or not, but she can't have him eating prickles for dinner.

Deep inside, even if she denied it to herself, she wished that what Ino told her was a fact that applied to all man.

Most of the time she couldn't understand him and she wished she did. Maybe then she could pay him back for what he has done for her.

For the past month, he had trained her and took her to a level she hadn't imagined herself achieving it. He made her master Kaiten as if she was born doing it, along with spotting the chakra holes and closing it.

He hadn't asked for a single thing so far and she felt her repeated thanks were not enough. She wanted to do something for him, but she can't do anything if she was never close.

She had just realized that it will be difficult to go along but she will do her best to do her duty and please him.

He walked to the kitchen him eyes drifted between where his plate was and her face.

"I put it back inside, I'm cooking dinner." She answered his unspoken question, She smiled and motioned towards the door with the knife in her hand before retuning to slicing the carrots. "You take a little nap, while I finish. It shouldn't take long before its ready."

"There's no need." He opened the fridge and grabbed the plate. He sat down on the table again, ate a few prickles and drank a bit of the orange juice. He was somehow disturbed, she noticed.

"Neji," She said with a little grin, ignoring the feeling of something was wrong. "You really shouldn't eat that stuff. Too much salts are bad for kidneys."

His hand stopped midways. His eyes were focused on her now. She continued on, not sensing the danger. "I also noticed that you're not taking care of yourself. A Ninja's life is tough but one should take care of himself as best as he could."

"I can't take care of myself?" He asked as if to test her.

"Iie, its not that. I'm just worried…."

Suddenly, he slammed his fist on top of the table. Making her cut her hand, jump from her seat and drop the knife.

"Don't try to tell me what to do again and keep that worry for yourself." He hissed.

"What is this all about?" she nervously sucked her bleeding finger. He sounded just as he did the night of their wedding.

You hadn't eaten anything.

"I'm already sick of your father ordering me around." He ,with irritation, said. "I think one boss at a time, if you please."

"Did chichue upset you about something?"she asked, pulled her finger out of her mouth and with her other hand she applied a light healing technique. She became at ease when she discovered that his rage wasn't because of her.

"And don't question me either, its bad enough that I'm stuck in this hell cage of a marriage and I don't need you to make worse."

Like a blow in the stomach, Hinata face crumbled. Pained that he felt living with her as hell. She stood there for a minute and then turned to leave.

She should have known this would happen.

You might get to understand him. She remembered what Kiba told her. Who were they kidding. This was Neji, and he never opens up to anyone.

"Have a nice meal." She called over her shoulder as she left him to his prickle dinner and the mess on the table.

TBC…

AN/ :p take that, a cliffhanger. You better review this time or you might know what's gonna happen. Because if a don't get a decent number of reviews I won't update. :D I'm evil I know but then so are you.

I know I had the genre of this story is Drama/Action/Adventure or Romance/Action/Adventure but there isn't any Action yet. Don't worry its yet to come, I just need Neji & Hinata to do a little bonding before going on dying on each other. (Yes, I'm gonna make them die. Muhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah). Ok, that's enough laughing 4 no reason, I'm kidding about the dying part. (I'm a sucker for happy endings).

Ino & Chouji are a couple and I'm not going to change it. Cuz like Shikamaru for myself. (Who am I kidding? Temari would kill me, If I ever came five miles close to him).

Cookie6- thanx a lot for always being the first to review. and I think that Neji-chan is even cuter.

Aventri- Your reviews always make me feel as if I'm millionaire author with thousands of writing contracts from the best publisher of the worlds to chose from. Take it easy on me, my head might get stuck in space and never want want to get back to beautiful reality planet (earth).

Grasshopper- I luff you and your refewth tho much. (With patting you back on the shoulder, I can't forget that).

For those who are evil, its not too late to escape darkness and come back to the world of light. Just click on the little square that says GO and write something nice to me. And I'll email Heavens Co. to send you their new formula of holy water. Its highly recommended.

J/K just please have mercy on my soul and review.

Ja ne.

Pretty Cherry.